Chapter 1108: Earth Virtue Primordial Lord (Second Update!)
In the Jasper Treasure Hall, the Heavenly Emperor sat upon his throne, and the Ten Heavenly Lords were all present, each sitting upright and solemn. Below the throne, civil and military officials filled the hall, their various divine lights illuminating the void.
Below, Gongsun Yan knelt in obeisance. The Heavenly Emperor offered a few words of encouragement and bade her rise.
A court official submitted a memorial, praising Gongsun Yan for her gentle virtue, moral integrity, and talent, which had moved the heavens. The Heavenly Emperor again offered a few words of encouragement and ordered a seat to be provided for her.
After Gongsun Yan was seated, another official submitted a memorial, praising her extraordinary cultivation and her talent for ordering the cosmos. He said, "The Earth Mother Primordial Lord of the Primordial Realm was morally corrupt and has already been executed. Now, the Primordial Realm is leaderless and in chaos. The Dawn Heavenly Lord guards the Primordial Realm alone and cannot support it by himself. Therefore, I recommend Gongsun Yan for the position of Earth Virtue Primordial Lord, to be stationed in the Primordial Realm, to share the Dawn Heavenly Lord's burdens and solve his difficulties."
The Heavenly Emperor looked at the Ten Heavenly Lords and smiled, saying, "What do my beloved ministers think?"
The Ten Heavenly Lords had already reached a tacit understanding and nodded in agreement one after another. The Dawn Heavenly Lord smiled and said, "Let His Majesty decide."
Thus, the Heavenly Emperor issued a decree, appointing Gongsun Yan as the Earth Virtue Primordial Lord, permitting her to establish a heavenly palace, and allowing her to command up to a million troops.
Gongsun Yan bowed in thanks.
All the gods chanted in unison, and the hall was filled with divine light and the melodious sounds of Dao tones, pleasing to the ear.
The Ten Heavenly Lords then bestowed their blessings upon Gongsun Yan. Behind her head appeared rings of light, ten in total. The divine soul of Qin Mu, hidden within Gongsun Yan's brow, saw this scene and felt a headache coming on. "Ten pairs of eyes are constantly watching Gongsun Yan. She can't hide anything she does from them!"
Just then, a wisp of divine soul quietly emanated from one of the rings of light behind Gongsun Yan's head and entered her brow. Qin Mu sneered coldly, and the divine soul he had hidden in her brow erupted!
The divine soul that had infiltrated Gongsun Yan's brow clearly hadn't expected someone else to be hiding there. It immediately stirred its divine soul, transforming into a Grand Celestial Heaven! However, to its surprise, Qin Mu's divine soul also transformed into a Grand Celestial Heaven. The two Grand Celestial Heavens collided, and the two divine souls instantly recognized each other's identity.
"Primordial Emperor!"
"Pastoral Heavenly Lord!"
The Heavenly Emperor then bestowed various treasures, including wealth, silks, and palace maids. He said, "Earth Virtue Primordial Lord, the lower realm is not like this place. The lower realm is filled with ambitious heroes causing chaos. I hope you will suppress them well and ensure the safety of the people below."
Gongsun Yan acknowledged the command, completely unaware that a fierce battle was raging within her brow.
The Heavenly Emperor dismissed the court. The Ten Heavenly Lords came forward to congratulate and encourage Gongsun Yan. Other court officials also stepped forward to offer their congratulations. Following the teachings of Ling Yuxiu, Gongsun Yan maintained perfect decorum, dignified and graceful, earning the admiration of the officials.
Qin Mu had left more of his divine soul in Gongsun Yan's brow, and he broke through the other's divine soul Grand Celestial Heaven. However, the Primordial Emperor was more skilled in his own techniques, and his divine soul abilities emerged in an endless stream. Even though Qin Mu had the upper hand, he could not subdue him.
The two divine souls fought incessantly within Gongsun Yan's brow. By the time Gongsun Yan had finished her dealings and walked out of the Jasper Treasure Hall, Qin Mu immediately stepped forward. He lightly tapped her brow, and the wisp of the Primordial Emperor's invading divine soul was instantly ground down and refined!
"The Primordial Emperor is still remarkable. His mastery of the divine soul path is supreme, beyond my ability to match." Qin Mu couldn't help but admire.
This clash with the Primordial Emperor's divine soul within Gongsun Yan's brow gave him a deeper understanding of the Primordial Emperor's abilities.
The Primordial Emperor's ability to become one of the Ten Heavenly Lords was due to his unparalleled skill in the divine soul path. Especially after he had absorbed the Divine Treasury Heavenly Palace system, his divine soul techniques were now immeasurably more powerful than before.
"Master, what should I do?"
After leaving the Jasper Hall, Gongsun Yan immediately reverted to being that simple girl, her mind devoid of ideas. She whispered, "I don't know how to be this Earth Virtue Primordial Lord. I..."
Qin Mu smiled and said, "You don't need to do anything."
Gongsun Yan was puzzled. Qin Mu continued, "You just need to be yourself, as before. Water the plants, tend the flowers, apply fertilizer, catch bugs, raise a nest of phoenixes, and learn Dao techniques and divine abilities from Granny Si."
Gongsun Yan blinked her big, dark eyes. "But His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor wants me to build an Earth Virtue Heavenly Palace. I have no experience in that..."
"That's even simpler."
Qin Mu said, "You can apply to the Heavenly Emperor for a sum of money. Once you get it, hand it over to Eternal Peace to build the heavenly palace for you. As for recruiting troops, you can also leave that to Emperor Yanshou. Ling Yuxiu will be very happy to help you with these things. Just focus on your cultivation. As long as your skills are high, you can defeat ten thousand enemies in battle. That will be enough."
"There will be fighting..." Gongsun Yan felt a little uneasy.
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "Earth Virtue Primordial Lord, you hold half of the Primordial Realm. Aren't you going to have to fight back against the forces that refuse to submit?"
As they were speaking, the divine official returned, bringing with him the various treasures bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor, a hundred palace maids, and an eight-phoenix carriage. The eight phoenixes were very beautiful and exceptionally powerful, no weaker than the nine celestial dragons of Qin Mu's Celestial Dragon Treasure Carriage.
The eight-phoenix carriage was of the standard for a feudal lord, one grade lower than the Celestial Dragon Treasure Carriage, but it was still extraordinary.
Gongsun Yan boarded the treasure carriage and reluctantly bid farewell to Qin Mu. The carriage started, carrying the many treasures and palace maids towards the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge.
Qin Mu watched her go, his eyes flickering. "The blessings of the Ten Heavenly Lords behind Yan'er's head are a troublesome matter. The blessings of the Ten Heavenly Lords are very difficult to remove, even more troublesome than the blessings of the ancient gods!"
However, with Gongsun Yan becoming the Earth Virtue Primordial Lord and establishing the Earth Virtue Heavenly Palace, Eternal Peace would have a legitimate reason to use its military forces abroad.
This was a good thing!
In the years since the Eternal Peace Calamity, there had been no military training; instead, military strength had been reduced. Even with the support of the Northern and Western Emperors, and the acquisition of powerful divine weapons like the Five Thunder Pot, no Five Thunder Army had been established. Instead, they had focused on development.
If this continued, even if the nation was wealthy, it would be rich but not strong.
By now, there were already many cultivators in Eternal Peace who had reached the divine realm. These gods could be placed into the Earth Virtue Heavenly Palace. They also needed cultivators to join the army, to gain experience on the battlefield, and to prepare for the future.
Just then, Hao Heavenly Lord, Fire Heavenly Lord, and the other ten Heavenly Lords walked out of the Jasper Hall.
"Pastoral Heavenly Lord!"
Hong Heavenly Lord quickly stepped forward, greeted Qin Mu, and said with a hearty laugh, "Pastoral Heavenly Lord has been waiting outside the Jasper Hall all this time. Why didn't you come inside to speak? His Majesty has been thinking of you!"
Qin Mu returned the greeting and laughed heartily. "I arrived a step too late. The court session had already begun inside, and I didn't dare disturb His Majesty and my colleagues."
He studied Hong Heavenly Lord, a suspicion growing in his mind.
Hong Heavenly Lord did bear some resemblance to Da Hong, whom Qin Mu had seen in the Dragon Han Era. Both wore wide robes and large sleeves. However, Da Hong was a young man, while Hong Heavenly Lord was an old man with white eyebrows and a white beard, his face radiant.
Both were of the demon race. But according to what Lord Gongyun had said, Da Hong was dead. So, was this Hong Heavenly Lord truly the Primordial Emperor?
Could it be that the Primordial Emperor's divine soul had descended from the divine soul Grand Celestial Heaven in the Ultimate Void and entered Da Hong's corpse?
He smiled warmly and exchanged a few pleasantries with Hong Heavenly Lord.
The two had just been locked in a fierce confrontation within Gongsun Yan's brow, yet now they were chatting and laughing, as if nothing had happened.